The High Line is property of the City of New York and under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks & Recreation.

It is managed in partnership with Friends of the High Line.

Winter Guide to the High Line

By Erika HarveyDecember 21, 2011

The winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) on the High Line near West 21st Street. Photo by Barry Munger.

Temperatures may be dropping, but you will find a beautiful landscape, thought-provoking public art, and engaging public programs at the High Line over the next few months. Here are a few reasons to rediscover the High Line this winter.

HOLIDAY HOURS
The High Line will be open for normal operating hours, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, during the winter holidays. Come visit and make the High Line one of your new holiday traditions.

Please check the Park Information page on our Web site, or follow @highlinenyc on Twitter to stay up-to-date during closures and delays due to inclement weather.

WINTER LANDSCAPE
In keeping with the vision of Piet Oudolf, the renowned Dutch landscape designer, the High Line’s plants are left in their natural state in the winter, rather than trimmed back as the cold weather arrives. That means in the winter, you will find a strikingly different landscape on the High Line, one filled with wild grasses, seed heads, and variation in texture and color that you won’t find during the warmer months of the year.

HIGH LINE ART
A walk along the High Line features public art installations at every turn. Here are a few works now on view:

HIGH LINE CHANNELGORDON MATTA-CLARK, CITY SLIVERS
A stroll on the High Line in the evening hours is a great time to experience the park in a whole new way. It is also the time to watch City Slivers, a silent film by Gordon Matta-Clark, on HIGH LINE CHANNEL. Thanks to a partnership with Electronic Arts Intermix, the film is projected daily on an exterior building at West 22nd Street. You can view it from the Seating Steps on the High Line, or from the sidewalk below the High Line on West 22nd Street. The film will be on view until Wednesday, January 4.

SARAH SZE, STILL LIFE WITH LANDSCAPE (MODEL FOR A HABITAT)
Sarah Sze is known creating intricate installations that shape space with hundreds of thousands of interconnected pieces of material. She currently has a solo show on view at the Asia Society Museum, but you can view her work for free at the High Line. Her sculpture, called Still Life with Landscape (Model for a Habitat), can be found on both sides of the park’s pathway near West 21st Street, and features birdhouses and feeding spots for High Line wildlife. The work will remain on view until June.

HIGH LINE BILLBOARDJOHN BALDESSARI, THE FIRST $100,000 I EVER MADE
The artist has created a giant reproduction of a $100,000 bill, and placed it on the HIGH LINE BILLBOARD at West 18th Street. The artwork will remain on view until Friday, December 30. Read a Q&A with the curator to learn more about the work.

KIM BECK, SPACE AVAILABLE
On rooftops along the southern end of the High Line, you will find three sculptures resembling the skeletal framework behind advertising billboards. At first glance, the art appears to be three-dimensional, but a closer look reveals they are completely flat structures that are cut from perspective drawings and built like theater props. The sculptures will remain on view until late January.

Visit the High Line Art page on our Web site for more information about current, upcoming, and past installations.

HIGH LINE PROGRAMS
All year long, Friends of the High Line organizes free and low-cost public programs for visitors of all ages. Here are a few highlights to check out:

HIGH LINE SOUNDWALK
You can now turn your footsteps into sound as you stroll the High Line. “The Gaits” is a free iPhone app designed by Lainie Fefferman, Jascha Narveson, and Cameron Britt for the High Line Soundwalk. Join us on Wednesday, December 21 at 5:30 PM to participate in a winter parade in celebration of Make Music New York, or download the app and experience it on your own time at the High Line.

HIGH LINE SNOW SCULPT-OFF
We are just now starting to see colder temperatures arrive in New York City, and that means the snow will soon be falling. When it happens, grab your hat and mittens and head to the High Line for the second annual High Line Snow Sculpt-Off. Check out photos and video from last year’s contest for inspiration. Make sure to sign up for our email newsletter to stay updated on the date and time of the contest.

ICE SKATING BELOW THE HIGH LINE
Our friends at The Standard, New York have brought their popular ice-skating rink back for another season below the High Line. The rink is open daily to visitors of all ages. Admission is $12, and skates are available to rent for $3 a pair. There are even half-hour skating lessons available for beginners. Visit www.standardculture.com for more information.